Discussing the leaders that are uncovering the goldmine of the cannabis industry.
- Leaders in Legal, & Economic Structure
- Leaders in Medical Marijuana
- Leaders in Cannabis Education
- Industry Investors & Business Owners
Why contribute to the cannabis industry?
Healthy statistics were presented in a recent Bizzcomunity article with a growth prediction of 33% between the period 2019 – 2023. This will undoubtedly lead to:
- High chances of return on investment
- Big potential of building the economy
- Job Creation
- Enormous medical potential
Leaders in Legal, & Economic Structure
Rastafarian and trained lawyer Mr. Ras Gareth Prince was the first person to challenge the cannabis laws in South Africa, at tremendous cost to his career and family. Ras stood firm in his beliefs around cannabis and its supporting benefits, without apology.
Mr. Prince was arrested twice over a ten-year period (2002 – 2012) on grounds of him arguing that the laws against herb are unjust and morally indefensible.
In 2018 the constitutional court anonymously held that the laws prohibiting cannabis use by adults (in private spaces) are unconstitutional, after which the South African government was ordered to create an enabling environment for the cannabis industry as a whole.
Through perseverance, today Mr. Ras Garreth Prince stands as the national chairperson of the Cannabis Development Council of South Africa. (CDCSA)
Cannabis Development Council of South Africa
The Cannabis Development Council of South Africa is a legal and registered non-governmental organization founded with the purpose of representing the interests of the cannabis community in South Africa.
The CDCSA aims to ultimately be an all-inclusive and self-regulating cannabis industry association to assist and add to the regulation and control of the Cannabis industry of South Africa. The CDCSA is currently focusing on opening the doors of communication with all tiers of government, and educating officials on the cannabis value chain and the potential it offers to the South African Economy, in reconstruction post-Covid-19 and State Capture.
Fieldsofgreenforall.org
Fields of Green for all stands proud as the only cannabis activist organization globally to be granted special consultative status by the United Nations. (Economic & Social Council)
Green Fields for All is a well-reputed supporter of litigation and engages with policymakers to build South Africa’s future in cannabis. This organization stands behind the idea that no single entity has all the answers, hence opening up to ALL interested parties, structuring around inclusivity through constructive dialogue and various inputs.
SA affiliates – “collectively reforming South Africa’s Cannabis Laws”
Felbridge
Originated from Polakraai – now a farm for cannabis cultivation
As a 4-generational agricultural family, the Zettler family at Polkadraai has now created a cannabis division named Felbridge – a leading South African cultivator and supplier of cannabis and hemp starting materials.
Felbridge became the first company in South Africa to receive a cultivation license.
The farm shows its dedication and investment to the industry by re-adaptation from strawberry and hydroponic crops to a division of medical cannabis cultivation, under the new trading name “Felbridge Medical cannabis” and has already exported 320kg of medical cannabis to Europe.
LABAT Africa Group
LABAT Africa Group is set to lead the development of South Africa’s cannabis industry.
LABAT Africa has also solidified a 75% stake in Leaf Botanicals Pty ltd, a cannabis cultivation facility and one of the first companies in South Africa to receive a cultivation and export license.
Nutritional Holdings
Nutritional holdings focus on increasing cannabis-related manufacturing capacity. Through innovation, new product development, and existing product amendment, Nutritional holdings aim to capitalize on the current emerging and growing cannabis consumer market. Their manufacturing capabilities consist of but are not limited to:
- dry food products
- supplements
- pharmaceutical products
- complementary natural medicines
Medicinal Marijuana
This sector has the strongest growth according to a recent industry forecast by Birguid.com as most of the cannabis industry’s investments are going into the medicinal sector.
Republic of South Africa Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
RSAMMD is a medical cannabis provider throughout South Africa and proudly boasts with supply in the cleanest and purest products on the market for patients looking for safe and effective relief.
This company’s founders have been at the forefront of medical cannabis legislation and South African cannabis legalization.
The Republic of South Africa Medical Marijuana Dispensaries adds to their services by education and support of doctors, physicians, and health care professionals about the benefits of medical-grade cannabis.
The RSAMMD strives to create responsible and reliable treatment programs for patients and to grant access to pharmaceutical-grade cannabis.
Educational
Education on cannabis is important since the substance was still illegal pre-September 2018, and learning opportunities in the field were not available in South Africa.
By providing complete information to the public, people have discovered the previously hidden medical & economic benefits of cannabis and its hemp relatives.
This has assisted in relieving the public of misinformation that has been publicized in recent years.
Contributing factors:
- Distance learning institutes
- Colleges
- Accredited courses (Higher certificates & National Diploma)
- Expos / Events
- Online news agencies
The Cannabis Institute
South Africa’s first cannabis online learning institute that offers SAQA accredited (NQF aligned) programs & skills for future occupations in all areas of the Cannabis industry.
The Cannabis Institute has made use of global trends to identify where most professions are needed and provides quality education based on this data. In other words, they teach skills that are in demand in the industry today, usable in a working environment.
Their NQF accredited course programmes consist of:
- Cannabis Agriculture Production
- Cannabis Agriculture Processing
- Medicinal Cannabis Pharmaceutical Assistance
The Cannabis Institute offers many more short courses & skills courses and has strategically partnered with Sageskills.
Sageskills
Sageskills is a level 1 B-BBEE development company / educational supplier in the cannabis industry in South Africa.
Supporting both the industry in education and the economic inequality, this 100% black female-owned company offers a wide variety of courses & skills and is also NQF aligned. Their NQF accredited courses entail but are not limited to:
- Ethical & Legally Compliant Behaviour
- Pharmaceutical Concepts & Terms
- Primary Labour Legislation
- Basic Cannabis Plant/Crop Nutrition
Cannabis Research Institute (CRI) of South Africa
Labeled as “the first Centre of Excellence in the field of cannabis and cannabinoid therapy management in Africa”
The purpose behind the institute is to further advance cannabis medicinally, in veterinary fields, and also complementary drug development using:
- Multidisciplinary approaches
- Clinical Research
- Data Analytics Trials
- State-of-the-art equipment & technology
- Cutting edge methodology
Cheeba Africa
On 10 June 2020, due to the growing demands of Cannabis education, Cheeba Africa announced the launch of Cheeba Cannabis Academy, the first cannabis educational platform on the African continent. (Feb 2021) As Africa’s leading cannabis educator, the Gauteng campus has seen more than 200 students pass through its doors.
Cheeba Africa has recently opened its second Cannabis academy in Plettenberg Bay in less than a year. The academy in the scenic Bitou River area is in partnership with the Garden Route retreat, home to the Canna-club & Growers co-op initiative, a non-profit that meets the strict ENCOD European Union Cannabis club standards in South Africa.
All medical cannabis content is delivered through a partnership with Medical Marijuana 411, the world’s leading online medical cannabis content provider. In addition, their “Cannabis Industry 101” course is endorsed by both Edupark and the University of Limpopo.
Cheeba Africa has also partnered up with 9th Wave – a cannabis industry-specialized recruitment agency for work placements after studies.
Cannabis Event Leaders
The Cannabis Expo
The Cannabis Expo is Africa’s largest cannabis event and arguably the leading tangible force in connecting all fields of the industry.
Director & Co-founder Silas Howarth aimed to create a platform for big cannabis business deals to be facilitated as well as providing the public with the opportunity to learn and join the industry.
The Cannabis Expo takes place annually in all the major business hubs of South Africa like Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town.
The next expo (due to Covid-19 postponement) will be on 26 August 2021 in Durban.
Cannabis Events
Cannabis Events.co.za is a leading online platform that calendars and promotes cannabis-related events, provides all the needed information, and includes ticket purchase portals.
420 SA
A Proud South African Cannabis forum that connects the industry as a whole. This is a fantastic platform to connect with people that share similar visions and create opportunities within the industry.
Experience 420: Garden Route Cannabis Festival
More local to the Western Cape, the Garden Route Cannabis Festival is dedicated to raising awareness on the emerging Cannabis industry.
The festival aims to repeat annual and has taken place this year 6 – 9 August 2021, securing the best names as judges:
- Simon Strainhuter
- Myrtle Clark – Co-Founder of Fields of Green for All
- Jeremy Acton – Leader of the Dagga-Party in South Africa
- Gareth Prince – First to challenge Cannabis laws in South Africa
- Chris Jay – Social Media influencer, promoter & content creator
Online News Sources
Here are the leading sources of information on the cannabis industry today:
- Birguid.co.za – in connection with
- Cannabiz-africa.com
- cannabisnews.co.za
- Cannabis Events.co.za
- 420 Canna market?
- 420 SA (Forum)
- Marijuana SA
Investors & Business Owners
First legal businesses
- Goodleaf – dominant cannabis business to consumer company in SA
- Highlands Cannabis Cultivators Lesotho
Entrepreneurs
Some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the industry:
- Warren Schewitz – CEO Canna Tech investor / Southern Sky Group – building cannabis business in Africa.
- Jody Aufrichtig – Highlands investments founder
- Mark Corbett – Highlands investments CEO
- Lee Anee Jaacobs – Canna-biz sales coordinator
International Investors
Highlands investments
Currently the largest cannabis cultivation & investment company in Southern Africa, HIghlands investments have recently secured an export of 8.5 tonnes to the value of R650m (2021 harvest, 4th growth cycle) from Lesotho to Europe (North Macedonia)
- 2 tonnes in September 2021
- 6,5 tons in November 2021
The order will consist of 2 tonnes THC flower and 6.5 tonnes of CBD flower – one of the world’s single largest legal cannabis exports to date, following their April export of 176. 5 kg
Highlands investments also proudly inform that their cannabis is GAP and ISO 22000 certified. – the international standard for food-grade products.
Highlands operates on a business-to-business basis, providing a great opportunity for large quantities of cannabis to move to and from South Africa.
Working together with leading CBD & cannabis wellness group “Good Leaf” Business to consumer company as of May 2021 has secured their spot as one of the strongest assets of the cannabis industry.
Goodleaf
Goodleaf’s merge with Highland investments has given them a strong presence in building the growing industry – its shareholders have 65% of the newly merged business, and the company has now secured enough high-quality cannabis to soar to an international level in regards to their CBD and wellness product ranges.
Goodleaf also markets products in Hong Kong and is currently negotiating to export to retailers elsewhere in Asia, in the UK, and in Europe, greatly adding to South Africa’s export potential.
Goodleaf’s main cannabis-related products:
- CBD oils
- Carbonated beverages
- natural vapes
- Powder sachets
- Cosmetics range
Within a year of the constitutional court ruling cannabis use as decriminalized, Goodleaf was South Africa’s first commercial cannabis operation and has been the leader in our country ever since.
Good leaf stores selling 30-strong product line:
- Cape Town (X2 outlets)
- Johannesburg
- Online
CBD products are widely available at:
- Pick n Pay
- Spar
- Checkers
- Woolworths
- Poetry
